Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Yesterday, I read from The Star Online here and here that Lembaga Hasil Dalam Negeri (LHDN) @ Inland Revenue Board (IRB) is barring tax evaders from leaving the country at Immigration counter or airport auto-gate. It looks like now, the IRB has engaged the support from Immigration Department to enforce travel 'blacklist' for those who didn't settle their tax accordingly. I can't imagine the trouble of being stopped at immigration counter or auto-gate when we are ready to board the flight somewhere for a nice vacation which we had been waiting for so long. Can't imagine had to tear off the boarding pass :(

So, if you suspect you are one of the the tax evaders, it's better to check whether you're in the LHDN @ IRB Travel Blacklist or not, before you proceed with your travel arrangement. You can check for LHDN @ IRB Travel blacklist here. Just key-in your 12 digits Malaysian Identity Card (IC) Number will do. From the reply, you will know whether you're valid to travel or had been restricted to do so. If you're restricted to do so, there're possibilities that you're blacklisted and you must contact Immigration Department for further information.

Paying taxes is part of our duties as Malaysian citizen. Just make sure you file your yearly tax accordingly, to avoid being blacklisted by LHDN @ IRB.

Friday, August 22, 2014

Today, I am sharing something not so related to finance. It's related to health. Yes, it's about how to reduce blood sugar level naturally or using the natural way. Last month, during a general health screening, hubby found out that his blood sugar level has increased and it's slightly more than the normal acceptable range. He's quite worried. The reading as below:

So, hubby went to a few pharmacies and drugstores, asking these professional if there are ways to reduce blood sugar level. Some of the advice are to reduce the carbohydrate intake, to limit consumption of fruits like banana, exercise more and of course to avoids sugary products such as cakes, sweets and biscuits. A few days later, hubby went to a local drugstore and asked the owner if there is any natural food to reduce blood sugar level. The drugstore owner get hubby to buy a small packet of 'Sky Fruit Seeds' (also know as Mahogany King Seeds - refer to above picture for the physical look of the seeds). It cost him RM15 for about 50g. The seeds are very light. There is about a few hundreds seeds in that small packet. He said there're quite a number of good testimonials from these Sky Fruits Seeds. Since this is a natural food, so hubby thought there's no harm to try. Before this, we're informed by my parents that these Sky Fruit Seeds is good for reducing cholesterol level. It does work magic on my father's cholesterol level. The drugstore owner told hubby to take 2 small seeds every morning (empty stomach) with a glass of filtered water. So, for the first one week, hubby took 2 small seeds every morning. Then, on the second week, hubby reduced to only 1 seed every morning because hubby said he feel a bit weaker. I noticed that hubby's tummy become flat. The third week onward, hubby reduced to only a half of the seed every morning.

Yesterday early morning, hubby went for another blood test for his blood sugar level. In the afternoon, hubby was a bit surprised to see his result as below:

Amazingly, these Sky Fruit Seeds really help hubby to reduce his blood sugar level to the normal range. Actually, we didn't expect much from this seeds. So, now, hubby still continue taking these seeds every morning. In addition to these Sky Fruit Seeds, after the earlier blood test, hubby also reduce his carbohydrate intake. Perhaps, these combination really work for hubby to reduce his blood sugar level.

At the moment of writing, hubby and me were not being informed and unaware of any side effect of these magic seeds. Really hope that there will be more research done on these wonderful seeds. Since this seeds has helped my husband to reduce his glucose level, I am hoping that this will help others too.

Some additional info:

-In Kuching, these Sky Fruit Seeds are easily available at Chinese drug store.

-These Sky Fruit Seeds taste really bitter. The first time I took this, the bitterness stay there for half a day. But, as you get use to it, the bitterness become less and less significant.
-Must chew the seeds thoroughly before swallow with a glass of water. I am not sure if swallowing the seeds without chewing will produce the same result.

Updated on 25 Aug 2014:We are glad to share the blood test result as below:

Monday, August 18, 2014

How many of us have more than one insurance policy? I think not many. In fact, there are many Malaysian who is currently without any insurance coverage. This is a very sad situation.

I think, among the reasons why there are many uninsured Malaysian is because of low financial literacy. Because they are not aware of the importance of insurance in their financial planning, so, insurance is always not in their list. Until something such as a serious health problem or an accident happened to a family member or a friend, then they realised the importance of getting an insurance policy. An improved financial literacy will be able to guide these people to get insurance policy as early as possible, not to wait till something happened, which by that time, it might be a little bit too late.

The second reason I can think of is inadequate fund. Life as an average Malaysian can be quite tough (financially). After taking care of the housing loan, car loan, monthly utilities bills, daily necessities and other basic needs, most of the time, not much money left. So, insurance is always left behind. By right, they have to reallocate their budget or spending plan. Try to adjust somewhere so that they can squeeze in a basic policy especially for the bread earner of the family.

The third reason why many Malaysian are still uninsured is bad experience with insurance agent. My own brother had a bad experience with his previous insurance agent. He was told that he only need to pay his insurance premium for a number of years, and then his policy will be active and he will be protected. Many years later, he found out his cash value is not sufficient to cover for his monthly premium anymore. He was quite angry and try to contact his insurance agent. But he was informed the agent is no longer an active agent. I told my brother that partial of the problem come from him because he didn't try to understand the policy that he signed, and he rely too much on the insurance agent. The other part of the problem is because of unreliable insurance agent providing misleading information. In short, these insurance agents are only interested to close the sale and thinking of their monthly commission.

The last reason which I can think of is also related to insurance agent. Some of the insurance agents are not proposing the policy according to the needs of their clients but instead based on their own needs, resulting the clients cannot afford to sign for a policy. Some may wish to get a policy but not able to pay the high monthly premium. A good insurance agent will try to understand his clients situation and needs before submit his proposals. He should propose a policy with the lowest premium but highest protection. I believe there's always a good policy which is suitable for each person accordingly to his age, lifestyle and his financial needs. So, try to get a good and reliable insurance agent.

Note: At the time of writing, I am not an insurance agent. I just feel that I need to share my views and hopefully I can open the minds of those who has not been insured, to start gathering more information about different policy and try to get an insurance coverage for themselves and for their families. Also, I hope that there will be more professional and reliable insurance agents out there to better serve all Malaysians.

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

If you've read my earlier post here, you will know that I had made my first Private Retirement Scheme (PRS) investment in December last year. I read from The Star Online that, as at 31 August 2013, there were 36,663 PRS contributors. Seems like not so many are interested to invest in PRS. Or maybe the figures had significantly increase by now?

Personally, there are 2 reasons why I invested in PRS:

1) Individual Income Tax Relief
This is the main attraction. Tax relief of up to RM3,000 per year for taxable income for the first 10 years starting from assessment year 2012. I've missed out assessment year 2012. So, I have about 8 more years to go.

2) To Compliment my KWSP@EPF Savings
One thing I am very sure is that I cannot rely on my KWSP@EPF savings alone for my retirement planning. I am definitely sure, my KWSP@EPF savings will not be sufficient to support me and my lifestyle in my golden years. So, this PRS investment is an add on to my existing investment portfolio. It is also a force savings for me. Hopefully, over the years, my PRS investment will grow into a significant amount.

Monday, August 11, 2014

I read about this articles on The Star Online today. I believe there are quite a number of people out there who are 'financial phobia' :) Well, people who had sweats all over when talk about money managing.

What the writer said is very true. Everyone must devote some time to manage our financial matter rather than to avoid it. After all, it is our responsibility to do so. We cannot expect our spouse or another family member to manage our finances for us. We must learn to take up the responsibility.

This article leads me to wonder whether you hired a personal financial adviser or consultant to manage your financial matter. Personally, I did not hire a personal financial adviser or consultant to take care of my financial matter, but I do invest with unit trust consultants. Why I didn't hire one? Because I think, at the moment, I still can manage my finances on my own. Even if I hire a personal financial consultant in the future, I still think I will not let him take full charge of my financial matter. I will prefer to get some advice and at the same time learn from him on how to better manage my finances rather than let him manage my finances. Why? Because I strongly believe that I myself know my financial situation better. And I cannot rely on him 100% because he has to take care of his other clients too.

So, do you hire a personal financial adviser or financial consultant consultant to help out with your financial matter?

Sunday, August 3, 2014

One of the many things that make me happy is when I received my statements from my unit trust investments. Recently I received the final distribution statement for my Public Dividend Select Fund (PDSF) for financial year ended 31 May 2014. This PDSF was my first investment which I made in 2005 with RM1000 only. The distribution amount which I received for financial year ended 31 May 2014 is RM181.49. It is quite impressive. So, as at 31 July 2014, from my RM1000 investment which I made in 2005, it is now turning into RM2,575.60. I am thankful for this and I hope to receive more good news for my PDSF.

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About Me

I am Michelle from Kuching, a small developing city in Malaysia. I hope my sharing on financial matter on my blog will bring benefits to all my readers. For inquiries, please contact me at yan6500 [at] gmail [dot] com

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